Effect of proteolytic starter cultures as leavening agents of pizza dough

Knowledge on the technological performance of proteolytic strains during the manufacture of pizza dough will enable the leavening process to be controlled and will further help to improve and standardise the industrial production of pizza dough.Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts were selected on the basis of in vitro proteolytic activity against wheat gluten protein and then assayed as leavening agents for pizza dough. Trials were carried out to compare a proteolytic starter (Prt+), consisting of Lactobacillus sakei T56, Weissella paramesenteroides A51 and Candida krusei G271, and a non-proteolytic starter (Prt ), consisting of Lb. sakei T58, W. paramesenteroides A58 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae T22. The proteolytic activity of the starter cultures was monitored immediately after mixing of the dough and throughout the fermentation process. The proteolytic activity was assessed by analysing the salt-soluble protein (SSP) and the dioxane-soluble protein (DSP) fractions of the pizza dough by discontinuous SDS-PAGE. Only the Prt+ starter exhibited considerable qualitative and quantitative changes in the electrophoretic patterns of the protein fractions extracted. The pizza dough with Prt+ strains showed an increase in viscous properties during the fermentation as compared with the Prt- dough.